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No. 429,584. Patented June 3, 1890.

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N. S. POSSONS.

' FUSE BOX. No. 429 584. Patented June .3. 1890.

armmm|mummmmw mw aw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NATHAN S. POSSONS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BRUSH ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FUSE-YBO'X.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,584, dated June 3, 1890.

Application filed May 22,1889. Serial No. 311,675. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NATHAN S. POSSONS, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Cut-Out Devices or Fuse-Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in electrical cut-out devices or fuse-boxes, the object of the invention being to provide a cut-out box of such construction that safe and reliable contacts for connecting the circuits and the fusible connections shall be disposed within and protected by a non-combustible shell or box.

Afurther objectis to provide a cutout box of such construction that the fusible links or connections shall be disposed within the cover of the box and arranged to be removed there with.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement of contacts in a cut-out box.

lVith these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In .the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are views in perspective, showing the top and bottom sides of the box. Fig.- 3 is a plan view of the interior of the bottom half of the box, and Fig. dis a similar view of the cover. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the box on a line through the diagonally-opposite corners. Fig. 49 is a similar section on a line through the opposite corners. Fig. 5 is a View in perspective of one of the contactstuds and clamps connected with the main circuit. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the contact stud and clamp connected with the branch circuit. Fig. 7 is a detached view of one of the fusible strips or limbs.

A is the bottom or lower half of the box, and A the cover, which parts are preferably made of porcelain or of baked and glazed pottery or earthenware, or other suitable insulatin g and non-combustible material. The

bottom portion A is provided on its under side with two parallel ribs a a, through which are inserted bolts or screws a for fastening the bottom of the box to a wall or other support, the projecting ribs a a serving to insure an open space between the w. ll and box. In the flange b, encircling the sides of the bottom A, are formed four grooves Z) for the insertion of two sets of branch wires or conductors B B and C C. The diagonally-opposite corners of the flange b are provided with projections c c, which fit into corresponding recesses c 0', formed in the flange c of the cover. These projections and recesses are provided in order that the cover cannot be secured in place, excepting it be so adjusted that the projections and recesses will register with one another, and when so applied the contacts within the box will be properly connected, as will be hereinafter explained.

D D are clamping-hooks for the main conductors, and are each constructed and applied to the box as follows: The hook portion d is located beneath or outside the bottom of the box, and is provided with a V-shaped groove d, within which is placed the main conductor, the latter being securely clamped in place by means of the screws d which are inserted from the inner side of the bottom through the outwardly-projecting flange (1 which is cast integral with the hook and fits against the outer surface of the bottom of the box and is secured thereto by the screws 0. c inserted from the inside.

E E represent contact-studs, each being cast integral with the clamping-hook and arranged to extend inwardly toward the center of the box. Each stud is cylindrical in .form and of such size as to insure a large surface contact for the engagement of the yielding or spring contacts attached to the cover.

The clamping-hooks D D and their contact-studs E'E are, as will be observed, located at the diagonally-opposite corners of the bottom of the box.

F F are branch-wire clamps and contactstnds, each of which is constructed as follows: f represents a base-plate, which is received within a slot formed in the inner surface of the bottom A, so that the upper surface of the base-plate shall be flush with the inner surface of the bottom. The base-plate is secured in place by means of screws 9 g inserted from the outside of the box. The base-platefhas castintegraltherewith two clamping blocks or supports 72 12, which are located in alignment with each other and project laterally from the opposite sides of the base-plate, so as to form an extended bearing for and insure an extended electrical contact with the branch wires. These blocks or supports are drilled to receive the branch wires, which latter are clamped in place by the screws 9 g. 011 one end of the base-plate f and cast integral therewith is a contact-stud, the two contact-studs II II being situated at diagonally-opposite corners of the box. It will thus be observed that all of the clamps for the main and branch conductors and contact studs for said conductors are secured to the bottom of the box, and hence the removal of the cover will not disturb or require the disconnection of any of said parts.

CoverA has secured to its inner surface four yielding orself-adjusting contacts I I and K K, all of which are or maybe exactly alike in their construction. Each one of such contacts consists of a baseplate 1', which is elongated in form and is secured to the cover by a screw j. To the enlarged end of the base-plate is soldered or otherwise secured a thin metal cylinder L, which is split lengthwise into a number of sections each of which forms a spring-contaet, and the entire series constituting an annular yielding contact within which is received one of the contaetstuds on the bottom of the box. Owing to the extended contact surface presented by the stud,and the extended contactsurface insured by the cylindrical yielding contact into which the stud is received, I secure a reliable and practically perfect contact between such parts when the cover is fastened to the bottom of the box.

M represents a safety-fuse orfusible catch, and consists of a strip on, of metal or alloy, which is a good electrical conductor, and which will fuse and melt when raised to a predetermined degree of heat due to the passage through it of an abnormally-strong current. 011 each end of the fusible link or strip at is fastened a hook at, which is punched or otherwise formed from sheet-copper or other good conductor. IIook n has formed integral therewith an extension 0, which is bent around the end of the link or strip an, and is thereby securely fastened thereto. The books a n at the opposite ends of the fusible strip are inserted between the outer end of the plates 1' and copper washers p p, the latter being forced into snug and firm contact with the hooks by the screws q.

The cover is secured to the bottom of the box by means of a bolt R, which extends through the bottom, and, if desired, the bolt maybe molded in the bottom if the latter is made of pottery or earthenware. The bolt is inserted through a hole formed in the cover, and the latter secured in place by a thumbnut "1' on the bolt.

\Vhen the cover is applied to the bottom of the box, the yielding cylindrical contacts I I will receive the cylindrical contact-studs E II, thereby establishing a circuit from one of the main conductors through the contactstud E, yielding cylindrical contact I, fusible catch or strip M, yielding cylindrical contact I, contact-stud I l, with the branch conductor or conductors clamped to the supports or clamps connected with the stud H, while the other main conductor will be electrically connected with the branch conductor or conductors clamped to the stud II through the contact-stud II, yieldin contact K, fusible catch M, and yielding contact II. Should either one of the fusible strips be burned out or melted and the branch circuit broken by reason of the passage of an abnormally-strong currentfrom the main circuit into the branch, the melted metal will fall within the porcelain box, which will prevent the heat from being communicated to the support for the box or any combustible structure.

The cover with its attachments serves as the movable portion of a switch, the cover itself constituting an insulated handle, which, being separated from the bottom of the box, open-circuits the branch circuits connected with the box, thereby enabling the connections or contacts or safety-links to be examined, repaired, or renewed with perfect safety to the attendant.

It is evident that many slight changes might be made in the construction and relative arrangement of parts and in the material used without departing from my invention, and hence I would have it understood that I do not restrict myself to the particular construction of parts shown and described; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electric cut-out or fuse-box, the combination, with a box provided with a re movable cover and a contact in the cover, of a contact in the box having a clamping-jaw and a flange formed integral therewith, and a clamping-screw inserted through the flange from the inside of the box and adapted by being forced outwardly to clamp the conductor between the clamping-j aw and end of the screw, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with an electrical cut out or fuse-box having contacts therein and a cover, of yielding contacts secured to said cover and adapted to engage the contacts in the box when the box is closed, each of said yielding contacts being constructed with a 1aterally-projecting base, a screw fastened to the laterally-projecting portion, and a fusible strip provided with hooks which engage said screws and connect the yielding contacts in pairs, substantially as set forth.

ICO

IIO

In an electric cut-out or fuse-box, the combination, with the bottom of the boxhaving openings formed therein at its opposite corners, of contacts, each constructed with a clamping-jaw, which is located on the outside of the bottom of the box, said clamping-jaw having a flange which covers or practically covers the opening in the bottom, screws extending through the ends of the flange for fastening the contact to the bottom, a contact-stud which projects above the floor of the bottom of the box, and screws inserted through the flange from the inside of the box for clamping the conductor in the jaws, substantially as set forth.

4. In an electric cut-out or fuse-box, the combination, with the two parts of a box, the 

